Elton John urges preservation of AIDS funding

Elton John has urged Florida governor Rick Scott not to cut funding to a program designed to help AIDS sufferers obtain medication.

The AIDS Drug Assistance Program provides HIV treatment drugs to low-income patients in all 50 US states.

A spokesperson for the Department of Health confirmed that there are hearings on lowering income requirements for those hoping to gain access to the AIDS Drug Assistance Program in Florida, but also stated that no decisions have yet been made, The AP reports.

John and partner David Furnish have responded to the news by writing Governor Scott a personal letter asking for support, wherein they claim that 1,600 AIDS patients will be denied access to medication if the income requirements are lowered.

The singer has been a long-time advocate for HIV and AIDS research, having launched his own Elton John AIDS Foundation in 1992.